Huntsman Alumni Magazine Fall 2012

Fall 2012

Maybe it’s something in the water. Or in the famous dairy products. Aggie ice cream anyone?

Or in the DNA. Some professors at Columbia University are doing research on whether or not the great migration from Europe to America selected a particular population of people who were significantly more risk oriented—genetically!—than those who chose not to come.

Features

At an awards banquet in September, Gary E. Stevenson was honored with the top award that the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business bestows, its Distinguished Executive Alumnus Award.

Gary graduated from Utah State with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration in 1979. While attending USU Gary co-founded Icon Health & Fitness, Inc., that went on to become the world’s largest developer, manufacturer, and marketer of fitness equipment.

It’s all about his epiphany—an epiphany that didn’t come until he was 41 years old, and that resulted in his helping to reshape the post-Depression world.

The subsequent generosity of generations of the Eccles family to USU makes that family’s history a crucial part of USU’s legacy. This is evidenced by the George S. Eccles Business Building (named for Marriner’s brother), and by the Eccles name on a host of USU buildings and programs—from the nationally ranked Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services, to the Caine College of the Arts named for the family of Marie Eccles Caine, the Eccles Science Learning Center, and many more.

Konrad Lee wants the Huntsman MBA program to teach students all that they must be, not just know, to become successful entrepreneurs. Revamping the Huntsman MBA curriculum over the past year has been a first step in that process, according to Professor Lee, director of the Huntsman School of Business MBA program.

Alumni

Brady Murray, a Huntsman alumnus, has won the right to race in the IronMan World Championship competition in Kona, Hawaii, on October 13, 2012. He was inspired to enter by reading stories on “Reece’s Rainbow,” a nonprofit website that champions Down syndrome children who have been abandoned.

Student

The Huntsman MBA program includes many unique students, all in various stages and circumstances in their lives. When they graduate, many students land full-time jobs because of opportunities given to them through the MBA program. Here are three short examples, demonstrating that a less traditional road can lead successfully to an MBA.

Faculty

A German native, she has published papers on the regulation of late medieval German beer markets, on informal property rights institutions among taxi cab drivers in Trujillo, Peru, and even on the Aggie Blue Bikes program at Utah State!

Dean's Message

It’s wonderful to reflect on the progress we have made at the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business in the last few years. Thanks to the many dedicated people who have dared to see things in new ways, we continue to transform the school and accelerate the careers of our students.

Thinking like entrepreneurial leaders isn’t easy because it can push us out of our comfort zones, but the rewards for doing so can be exhilarating.

My Favorite Professor

Dr. Ben Blau, a professor of finance, has a unique philosophy when it comes to teaching, a philosophy that he explains to his students before every difficult assignment or impossible midterm exam. He believes that professors who make students think that they are thinking are loved, while professors who actually make students think are hated. “My goal,” Dr. Blau quips, “is to become your least favorite professor.”

Vision

I have always been deeply connected to Somalia, my homeland, and I am also very connected to Utah State University, where I earned both a master’s degree in range science in 1991 and a Ph.D. in economics in 2001. My thesis was an optimal dynamic control model for livestock in central Somalia.

I met my wife, Habiba Nur, at Utah State, where she also was a student from Somalia, and we were married at the Student Union Center.

Voice

There are enough people in this world who try to lead by telling people what to do. I think it is more important to lead by example. Since I founded HealthEquity in 2002, I have always been willing to jump on any plane, fly to any city, or pick up the phone to make any call to help our sales and business leaders perform their important duties. If we ever have a client conflict or challenge, I will support our team to make the right decisions to serve our customers.